{"id":5283,"date":"2023-10-18T21:30:14","date_gmt":"2023-10-19T01:30:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sites.miamioh.edu\/exemplary-science-teaching\/?p=5283"},"modified":"2023-10-18T21:30:15","modified_gmt":"2023-10-19T01:30:15","slug":"a-drive-towards-intrinsic-motivation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sites.miamioh.edu\/exemplary-science-teaching\/2023\/10\/a-drive-towards-intrinsic-motivation\/","title":{"rendered":"a DRIVE towards Intrinsic Motivation"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"How<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

DRIVE by Daniel H. Pink<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Despite prior beliefs, monetary incentives for human learning is not motivating us like we thought. Daniel Pink dives into what really motivates humans in life, and his discoveries are pulled from scientists such as Harry Harlow. In his book DRIVE<\/em>, Pink explains how intrinsic motivation is the best way to motivate people longterm, emphasizing the importance of autonomy, master, and purpose. <\/p>\n\n\n

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\"Drive:<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Why Strive to be Intrinsically Motivated? <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Humans work best long term when their working towards something because they want to, rather than if they have to. In DRIVE<\/em>, Pink describes times when monetary incentives (such as money, prizes, etc.) are appropriate for motivating humans. It creates a fair and baseline opportunity for everyone involved, and can be useful with an outcome or goal is aiming to be predictable or expected. Other times where extrinsic motivation could be appropriate is when it would be beneficial for those involved to receive praise or feedback. However, Pink stresses the importance of becoming intrinsically motivated when learning or preforming a task for many more reasons. Intrinsic motivation fuels creativity, provides an individual with the energy to continue a task longer, and promotes long term thinking. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Application to a Science Classroom (lesson plans)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n

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\"About<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Ideally, it is every teacher’s dream to have their students want <\/em>to learn. Students should be focused more on why the composition of an atom can differentiate one element from the next, rather than be worried and asking “is this going to be on the test?” One way teachers can promote a new way of thinking for their students is by incorporating intrinsically motivated activities in the class. Here are some ideas to get you started…<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Project-based learning<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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  • Encourage students to pick a real world issue or topic that they are interested in (relevant to science topic being taught in the class) and allow them to explore it. This allows students to take ownership of their learning, having autonomy inside of the classroom. <\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Promote critical thinking skills throughout this process. This would also be a good time to bring in how to detect reliable sources when researching more about their topic.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  • Allow students to present their findings to the class, sharing what they found that may have surprised them along the way. <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
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    Socratic Seminars<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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    • Before hosting a socratic seminar, it may be important to allow students time to research their stance on a given topic before participating in this activity. <\/li>\n\n\n\n
    • Allow students to participate with the teacher being primarily a facilitator in this case (for a science classroom specifically, students can discuss and share their ideas on how climate change is affecting earth’s ecosystems, providing solutions that students can bounce ideas off of)<\/li>\n\n\n\n
    • This activity allows students to engage in thoughtful, research-based discussions regarding real issues in the world that may interest them, influencing them to be intrinsically motivated in the process. <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

      Creativity and Intrinsic Motivation<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

      Beth Hennessey shares similar ideas with Daniel Pink discussed in DRIVE<\/em>. She explains how she has firsthand witnessed her young students become less creative and motivated in her class as they got older. She states how, “motivation and creativity go hand in hand,” sharing the ideas that Pink shared when describing the importance of intrinsic motivation. They both also recognize that extrinsic motivation is not always bad, especially when there is work that needs to be done on time. Hennessey stresses in her TEDTalk that is creativity is the goal however, intrinsic motivation is what teachers and students alike should strive for. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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